Washington Wizards 06/10 Mock Draft

 After ending the season 18-64 the Washington Wizards inherited the number 6 overall pick and the rights to the Memphis Grizzlies' first round pick which is number 18 and pick number 40. Here is a realistic two in one mock draft I made.

Draft scenarios

Scenario 1: The Wizards pick Jeremiah Fears at 6, Noa Essengue at 18 and Tyrese Proctor at pick 40. 

Here is what the starting 5 could look like if that were the case.  

PG: Jeremiah Fears

SG: Bub Carrington

SF: Bilal Coulibaly 

PF: Kyshawn George 

C: Alex Sarr

Bench:

Marcus Smart 

AJ Johnson 

Justin Champagnie 

Noa Essengue 

Richaun Holmes 

Trade: Poole, Middleton, Kispert, Bey 

Pros: The Wizards first-round pick next year is top 8 protected so they will look to tank. This would be a fun young team to watch and the young pieces could continue to develop. In addition this team would have a high defensive upside. 

Cons: The Wizards were dead last in the NBA last season in offensive rating last season and were 29th in 3PT%. In this scenario I would trade Jordan Poole because he doesn’t seem to be part of the long-term plan and the backcourt would be too crowded with the addition of Fears as the Wizards already have promising young pieces at the position with Bub Carrington and AJ Johnson. The Wizards would therefore lose their best offensive player, playmaker and shooter. 

Scenario 2: Wizards send pick #6 + pick #40 to Nets in exchange of pick #8 + pick #27

Pick 8: Derik Queen 

Pick 18: Egor Demin 

Pick 27: Adou thiero 

I would like to note the possibility of packaging pick 18 and newly acquired pick 27 from the nets together in order to trade back up into the lotto to solidify your chances of getting Demin, Essengue or Sorber depending on what position you pick at 6. 

Starting 5:

PG: Jordan Poole 

SG: Bub Carrington 

SF: Bilal Coulibaly 

PF: Derik Queen 

C: Alex Sarr 

Bench: 

Marcus Smart/ Egor Demin

AJ Johnson/ Egor Demin 

Justin Champagnie 

Adou Thiero 

Backup/Vet Big or Holmes 

Pros: Double big, Queen provides scoring, passing and rebounding which solves many of your problems on offense. Egor Demin was a poor shooter in college but showed some flashes, he also has a unique skill set for his height (6 '9) as he is a great passer and playmaker. 

Adou Thiero is an athletic slasher who can attack downhill; he could be a great wing on top of Bilal and Kyshawn George. 

Cons: 

What if this team wins too many games? I believe this played into Will Dawkins decision of trading Deni Avdija last year and they might face a similar situation this year with Poole. There are also questions around Queen’s fit in the NBA and whether or not his college game will translate. Queen is also not a good defender which doesn’t seem to fit the formula Dawkins has been building his team on (tall players for their position who can all play defense and have high upside). 

PROSPECT SCOUTING REPORT:

Jeremiah Fears: Jeremiah Fears is a 6’4 point guard who played this past year at Oklahoma. He averaged 17 points, 4 rebounds and 4 assists on 43/28/85 shooting for the sooners. 

He reminds me of John Wall because of his great speed, great handle and ability to attack the rim and attack down hill. Fears took on heavy usage at Oklahoma as a freshman, which led to him taking x shots a night. This volume will go down as a rookie which could lead to his shooting numbers improving. Another thing to note is Fears reclassified, which means he will only be 18 on draft night and turns 19 only in October which shows how much upside he has. We know that Dawkins and Winger value youth, both Bilal Coulibaly (18 on draft night) and Bub Carrington (18 on draft night) were among the youngest in their respective draft class. This is also a sign that Fears has a great ceiling and we’re only seeing the tip of it. 

What Fears can improve on: We mentioned the shooting specifically from three. Fears was also not a great shooter in high school but that is the one skill NBA coaches can help you develop best and the fact that he is a great free throw shooter is encouraging. Fears is also not a great defender and his frame raises concerns. Here is how fears are measured at the combine. 6’3 ¾ ,180 LBS, 6’5 ¼ wingspan, 8’2 ½ standing reach. ESPN draft expert Jonathan Givony mentioned that these are similar measurements to Darius Garland, this strengthens the concerns about the defense. However I am an advocate in the Wizards drafting their offensive engine this draft and if they believe Fears is that guy then pick him. He will be surrounded by good defenders such as Bilal Coulibaly, Kyshawn George and Alex Sarr. The Wizards can’t stay in the mindset of picking solely defensive prospects with offensive upside that necessitates development. 

Derik Queen: Derik Queen reminds me of Domantas Sabonis because of his feel for the game at his size which is unique (6 '10 and 247.8 lbs). This season at Maryland he showcased his ability to playmake but also his wide offensive palette. Queen is great all around the paint as he averaged 52% from the field and is a great rebounder. This season he averaged 16.5 points and 9 rebounds a game for the Terps on a 59.1 true shooting percentage. His mid range game is decent but he has not developed his three point shot which will have to come if he wants to have a long career in the NBA. Another argument that is often brought up in favor of Queen is the fact that he is from the DMV, as he grew up in Baltimore and played for the University of Maryland. The Wizards currently have a Baltimore native in Bub Carrington on their roster and adding another one could strengthen the culture they are trying to build. Queen also displayed he is a big game player scoring 31 points against Michigan in the Big Ten tournament semi finals and 27 points in Maryland’s loss to Florida in the sweet sixteen who then went on to win the whole thing. There are many questions around how Queen would fit next to Sarr. I think they both complete each other as Queen lacks what Sarr does best and vice versa. Sarr has shown that he can be this team’s defensive anchor and primary rim protector and shown flashes of a stretch 5 thanks to his outside shooting ability. On the other hand Queen is a better offensive rebounder, passer and all around scorer. I think this duo could work in DC and we have seen throughout the playoffs how “double big” lineups have made a comeback (Thunder with Hartenstein and Chet, the Cavs with Mobley and Allen, Houston with Sengun and Adams etc…). 

At pick 18 the Wizards could go with experienced and add another talented wing such as Nique Clifford or Rasheer Fleming. Both of these players project as great shooters that can also defend, however I don’t see the Wizards drafting them because they don’t really fit our timeline as Clifford was a 23 year old senior and Fleming was a Junior. For those reasons and based on past drafts I can see the Wizards turning their eyes to a younger option in Will Riley. Riley is a crafty 6 '8 wing with great shotmaking skills who averaged 12.6 points, 4.1 rebound and 2.2 assists a game for the Fighting Illini this season. He shot 43.2% from the field, 32.6 from three and 72.4% from the line. He was awarded Big Ten 6th man of the year as a freshman.